The Orphan
'"The Orphan" '''is the thirty-seventh episode of ''New Frontier, the fifth season, and the 115th episode overall. It was told and narrated by Rhys, premiering on December 7, 2014. In the episode, Simon goes to kill The Archduke, but is confronted with some shocking facts. The Episode The Hub was empty. It was as Simon never remembered it: a ghost town. So many people from Tomorrowland had fled to VMK following the Archduke's escape in fear of an attack. Out of habit, Simon stopped at his mailbox. Even an assassin for the Cult of Gallifrey had to be responsible. Simon flipped through the letters. Exile forms, war propaganda, and an unstamped letter with no return address. Simon put everything except the last letter back in the box. He approached the Kiosk. "Request?" the Kiosk's interface said. Simon grabbed the microphone. "Where is the Archduke?" "The Archduke's location," the Kiosk said, "is unknown." It was worth a try, Simon thought. He opened the letter. His eyebrows shot up. It was from Cherry calling for help. Help for the Archduke. The one who killed his parents. Sure. Simon read to the end of the letter. He almost laughed; Cherry gave away her location. Finding the Archduke would be easier than Simon thought. DEEP SPACE Cherry and Kevin were lying together on a raggedy couch. Simon crept up behind them. He scanned the room for a drink or something into which he could put the poison. He slipped in front of the sleeping couple. He looked at Cherry. His girlfriend. The woman he was ready to propose to and live with forever. The woman who betrayed him. Simon pulled the poison capsule out of his pocket. "Simon?" Simon froze. Cherry's eyes flickered open. "Simon!" she exclaimed. She stood carefully so as to not disturb Kevin. She embraced Simon. "I knew you'd come for us," she whispered. Simon backed away. "I didn't come to save you." Cherry lowered her eyebrows. "Then...why are you here?" "I'm here to kill the Archduke." Cherry gasped. Her hand flung to her mouth. "No..." she muttered, "You can't." "He's destroyed lives. He's a tyrant and a threat to humanity." "Simon," Cherry begged, "I know we've wronged you. We've wronged thousands. There is no easy way to forgive us...but please...don't do this. I'm sorry I led you on and I'm sorry I betrayed you. I do love you, Simon, but my love to Kevin comes first." "I don't care," Simon said bluntly, "He exiled me. He killed my parents." "He...what?" Cherry said. "He killed my parents," Simon said, "on the SpaceWalk Terminal." "I did not," Kevin said. He sat up and immediately began to cough. Cherry gave him a cup of water. "I did not kill your parents," Kevin said, "I loved them both very much." "Love can fade," Simon said, shooting a glare at Cherry. "They were my doctors," Kevin said, "Very qualified and helpful doctors. Byron Morgan and I would spend nights talking about anything. That was my friend. That was my doctor." "Doctor who?" Simon demanded. "Simon..." Kevin said, "I didn't kill them." "Oh really?" Simon said, "Between SpaceWalk Terminals 7 and 8, the glass cracked. 40 people died. My parents among them." "I did not cause that." "You had the power to." Kevin frowned. "Let me tell you what actually happened..." SPACE MOUNTAIN QUEST DECK NINE YEARS AGO The Archduke massaged his temples. "Byron, could you stay a few more minutes? I'm feeling particularly nauseous right now." Byron Morgan nodded. "I have to pick up a pizza in ten minutes." "What kind?" the Archduke asked. "Chicken parmesan. It's from a new place that opened off the Hub." "Have I told you my chicken parmesan story?" Byron smiled. "No, sir." And so the Archduke dove into elaborate storytelling. Byron listened intently, laughing and sharing in the plot. When the time came for Byron to leave, the Archduke told him to have a good night. ONE HOUR LATER The Archduke was awoken by a soft alarm. He put on his glasses and looked at the dashboard in front of him. He squinted at the dials. That made no sense. Pressure alert on the SpaceWalk? The Archduke called his technician. Was it a simple anomaly or was there real danger to those on the SpaceWalk? As the Archduke waited a response, the dial spun around until it cracked. And then he got a phone call: the SpaceWalk had shattered. 40 had died. Among them, Katherine and Byron Morgan. DEEP SPACE PRESENT DAY "Oh?" Simon said, not entirely believing his story, "So you had....nothing...to do with it?" "Nothing at all," Kevin said. "He really didn't," Cherry said, "Please believe us." "You must see why that's hard for me to do." "I've wronged a lot of people in my life," Kevin said, "A lot. I killed my own father so that I could get the title of Archduke." Simon cringed. "You..what?" "I want to find my brother and sister to make amends. I want to retire peacefully. I can go down in history as a tyrant but I will die knowing that I renounced my ways." "Simon," Cherry said, "Please don't kill him." Cherry grabbed Kevin's hand. "It's too late," Simon said. Cherry exhaled. "What?" "The cup...of water...I put the capsule in there." "How long does he have?" Cherry asked. "I don't know. An hour? I'm sorry, but I am the assassin." "For who?" Cherry cried, "Who would order you to do something like this?" "The Cult of Gallifrey." Cherry and Kevin exchanged glances. "No," they said together. "No!" Cherry said, "Don't trust them!" "Xerxes..." Kevin said. "What?" Simon asked. "The Cult is not real. It's a fake," Cherry said, "Help us. Help us find a remedy to this poison." Simon backed away. "I...can't..." "Simon," Kevin gasped, "If this is my time then it is. But if you help me, if you bring me back from the dead, I can help you stop Xerxes." "Who's Xerxes?" Simon demanded. "I'll explain later," Kevin wheezed, grabbing his stomach, "Do it for your parents! Do it for your brother." Simon's eyes widened. He approached Kevin. "Okay..." he said, "What do I have to do?" Production Continuity and Story Arcs The relationship between Simon and Cherry, almost long since forgotten, resurfaces here as Cherry tries to reason with Simon. Some of the actual circumstances of the night on which Simon's parents died were revealed. Kevin is able to convince Simon to help by citing his lost brother. Trivia *The Kiosk is Tomorrowand's equivalent of ESMERALDA. *Producers have been waiting 37 episodes to find a way to say "Doctor who?" Category:Episodes Category:New Frontier Episodes